In recent years the handling of hay has seen a trend moving from small rectangular shaped bales to the use of large bales of great size and weight. Such large bales generally are comprised of the hay being in a long strip which is wound in a spiral fashion with the bales being up to six feet in diameter or even perhaps larger and of substantial thickness as well as weight. Such bales have many advantages over smaller bales but also have the disadvantage of being more difficult to handle and move about in a field. Because of the large size and weight of such bales, conventional bale handling equipment used for the small rectangular shaped bales has been inadequate to properly handle and move large bales.
While certain devices have been developed having the capability of moving and unrolling large bales of the type referred to herein, one of the problems for handling such large bales is that the bales often vary greatly in thickness, depending upon the baling machine being used. For example, some bales may have a thickness of four feet, others five feet, and others, six feet. This bale thickness, or width, creates problems in handling the bales in that the bale carrier and unroller must be variably adjustable to handle such bales.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a bale carrying and unrolling device which has a capability of lateral adjustment so that a single bale carrying and unrolling device may be utilized to accommodate bales of varying widths.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a bale carrying and unrolling device which is simple in construction, not bulky in appearance, and which is compact and can be easily disassembled in a manner of minutes, making it easy to transport and store.
The method of accomplishing these and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.